HC Deb 24 May 1962 vol 660 cc657-9
18. Mr. A. Lewis

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the abolition of the present system of taxing football pools and greyhound racing and instituting a system of a 2 per cent. tax payable on all forms of betting, gaming and gambling, however and wherever carried on; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made as to the best method of instituting a general and equally applied betting tax.

Mr. Barber

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestions, but I am unable to make any further statement at the present time.

Mr. Lewis

That is the sort of reply we keep on getting. Is is not grossly unfair that those who bet on football pools pay 30 per cent. tax and those who bet on greyhound racing by the totalisator pay 10 per cent. while no other person betting, gaming or gambling in any other way pays any tax at all? If we had a fair tax on all forms of betting and gambling a lot of money would accrue to the Revenue, the tax could be reduced and no one would have any grievance?

Mr. Barber

This is the sort of question I keep on getting from the hon. Gentleman, but he will appreciate that only the other day we discussed the level of duty on football pools at some length. Again, with regard to the Pool Betting Duty on greyhound racing and the countervailing duty imposed on bookmakers, these are matters which may come up in debate if we discuss a new Clause— I think it is in the name of the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. A. Lewis)— which is on the Notice Paper.

Mr. Fisher

In view of the new forms of gambling—bingo, chemin de fer and betting shops—which have been introduced by the 1960 Act, would not my hon. Friend agree that the discriminatory tax on greyhound racing is now even more unfair than when it was first introduced fourteen years ago? Will he not now consider introducing a review of gambling taxation as a whole with a view to it falling more fairly on all these different types of gambling interests?

Mr. Barber

I said the other day in the debate that most certainly further consideration would be given to this subject before next year.

Mr. Lewis

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that it is quite simple for the Treasury, it would appear, to put a tax on sweets and yet it seems to be against putting a tax on betting? Is it not possible to have a form of calculating machine in every type of betting shop to cover every type of bet so that, when the tax is deducted, the person making the bet receives a slip on which is stated the amount of the tax which has been deducted? The Inland Revenue could then collect it once a week or once a quarter. What argument is there against that?

Mr. Barber

I will certainly bear that suggestion in mind.